A study to develop a modelling approach to simulate fire regimes focussed on savannah fire has been developed by a consortium composed of King's College London (UK) and Université Paul Sabatier (F). The approach had to be suitable for simulating "satellite" type imagery, (e.g. MODIS), and - with the knowledge of the input scene spatial and structural characteristics - to analyse variables related to the Fire Radiative Power (FRP) such as "effective temperature", "fire area" and "fuel consumption".

The modelling approach was based on existing models and the algorithm developed proposed to fill the gap necessary to simulate the active fire. This involved the development of an algorithm that can provide a 3-D (time-varying) representation of the FRP for a given scene (several temporal and spatial scales) and correlates it with several significant variables, e.g. rate of fuel consumption and smoke release.

Furthermore the potential use of FRP model related information for further improvement of the constraints in fire propagation models was investigated.

The algorithm was validated against field data (with the establishment of the requirements for a dedicated campaign) and satellite observations. The field campaign therefore aimed to conduct a series of experimental burns of a size in-between these two extremes (i.e. of approximately 100 m2). This meant that fire behaviors resembling those of natural fires could be observed, but at a scale such that very detailed measurements and remote sensing observations could be made of the entire burn plot simultaneously.

The data collected was used to force and/or evaluate fire simulation models, and to develop and parameterize approaches to convert between 2D fire growth models and 3D fire information, such that the simulation of remote sensing imagery can be performed based on 3D radiative transfer techniques using the 3D fire scene information as input. Thermal remote sensing imagery collected during the campaign can then act as a validation source for the final scene simulations.

A study to develop a modelling approach to simulate fire regimes focussed on savannah fire has been developed by a consortium composed of King's College London (UK) and Université Paul Sabatier (F). The approach had to be suitable for simulating "satellite" type imagery, (e.g. MODIS), and - with the knowledge of the input scene spatial and structural characteristics - to analyse variables related to the Fire Radiative Power (FRP) such as "effective temperature", "fire area" and "fuel consumption".

The modelling approach was based on existing models and the algorithm developed proposed to fill the gap necessary to simulate the active fire. This involved the development of an algorithm that can provide a 3-D (time-varying) representation of the FRP for a given scene (several temporal and spatial scales) and correlates it with several significant variables, e.g. rate of fuel consumption and smoke release.

Furthermore the potential use of FRP model related information for further improvement of the constraints in fire propagation models was investigated.

The algorithm was validated against field data (with the establishment of the requirements for a dedicated campaign) and satellite observations. The field campaign therefore aimed to conduct a series of experimental burns of a size in-between these two extremes (i.e. of approximately 100 m2). This meant that fire behaviors resembling those of natural fires could be observed, but at a scale such that very detailed measurements and remote sensing observations could be made of the entire burn plot simultaneously.

The data collected was used to force and/or evaluate fire simulation models, and to develop and parameterize approaches to convert between 2D fire growth models and 3D fire information, such that the simulation of remote sensing imagery can be performed based on 3D radiative transfer techniques using the 3D fire scene information as input. Thermal remote sensing imagery collected during the campaign can then act as a validation source for the final scene simulations.

As ESA’s ɸ-week draws to a close, it’s worth remembering that the science and technology involved in observing our planet from space isn’t entirely for the preserve of experts. With a growing interest in the environment and the climate, there are plenty of opportunities for the general public to take part.

Access to space was in the spotlight at this week's Φ event which followed an ESA-hosted workshop on Europe’s emerging microlaunch services held in Paris, France for industry, investors and institutions.

In mid-December, twin discs will begin glowing blue on the underside of a minibus-sized spacecraft in deep space. At that moment Europe and Japan’s BepiColombo mission will have just come a crucial step closer to Mercury.

It may not be your actual Superman, but participants to ESA’s ɸ-week are certainly embracing some ‘superhero’ ideas for the future of Earth observation, including high-flying platforms – something between a satellite and an aircraft.

As ESA’s ɸ-week draws to a close, it’s worth remembering that the science and technology involved in observing our planet from space isn’t entirely for the preserve of experts. With a growing interest in the environment and the climate, there are plenty of opportunities for the general public to take part.

Access to space was in the spotlight at this week's Φ event which followed an ESA-hosted workshop on Europe’s emerging microlaunch services held in Paris, France for industry, investors and institutions.

In mid-December, twin discs will begin glowing blue on the underside of a minibus-sized spacecraft in deep space. At that moment Europe and Japan’s BepiColombo mission will have just come a crucial step closer to Mercury.

It may not be your actual Superman, but participants to ESA’s ɸ-week are certainly embracing some ‘superhero’ ideas for the future of Earth observation, including high-flying platforms – something between a satellite and an aircraft.

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It is time to prepare to listen to space. To celebrate the launch of the European Student Earth Orbiter (ESEO), ESA’s Education Office challenges the amateur radio community to listen out to be first to hear the new spacecraft orbiting Earth.

ESA Education and the Raspberry Pi Foundation are delighted to announce that Phase 2 of the European Astro Pi Challenge: Mission Space Lab has begun. During Phase 1, we received a record-breaking 471 entries from 24 countries! Now, the 365 selected teams will have the chance to write computer programs for the scientific experiments they want to send to the Astro Pi computers aboard the International Space Station (ISS)!

Last week enthusiastic future engineers and scientists had the chance to participate in the ESA Academy’s inaugural Space Systems Engineering Training Course at the Academy’s Training and Learning Facility, ESEC-Galaxia, Belgium.

This pilot cycle brought together the 30 University students, representing 16 ESA Member States, with ESA current and retired staff, who, armed with a wealth of experience in Space Systems Engineering and Project Management, set about the task of divulging the rich and varied work of a System Engineer at ESA.